Joko Pinurbo dies, Indonesia loses its best poet

Poet Joko Pinurbo died in Yogyakarta. Indonesian literature has lost one of its best poets.

KOMPAS/HARIS FIRDAUS

Poet Joko Pinurbo speaks at the launch of a book of his poetry collection entitled Epigram 60, Monday (16/5/2022), at the Gramedia Sudirman Bookstore, Yogyakarta.

YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS — Literature Indonesia is hit by sad news. Poet Joko Pinurbo died at the age of 61 years in Yogyakarta, Saturday (27/4/2024) morning. The man who is familiarly called Jokpin is considered one of the best poets in the country because his poems are considered to have offered something new to Indonesian literature.

The news of Jokpin's death was conveyed by the editor of Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Mirna Yulistianti, who had been editing Jokpin's books. Mirna said she received the sad news from Jokpin's wife, Nurnaeni Amperawati Firmina, on Saturday morning, via the Whatsapp application.

According to Mirna, Jokpin died at Panti Rapih Hospital, Yogyakarta.

Previously, in November 2023, Jokpin was hospitalized for some time. In an interview with Kompas at that time, Nurnaeni said that Jokpin was experiencing lung complaints.

"After 2023, Mas Jokpin was hospitalized several times. I also visited him," said Mirna.

Also read: Poet Joko Pinurbo Lies Sick at Panti Rapih Hospital Yogyakarta

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Poet Joko Pinurbo

Based on information received by Kompas, Jokpin's body will be laid to rest at the PUKY Funeral Home, Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY). The poet's body will be buried in Sleman Regency, DIY, on Sunday (28/4/2024).

Mirna stated that Jokpin is one of the best poets in Indonesia, after Sapardi Djoko Damono. Despite that, Jokpin always remains humble in his interactions with various parties.

"There is absolutely no arrogance in Mas Jokpin that we know as one of the best poets in Indonesia," said Mirna.

Also read: The Trap of "Online" Loans and Yogya's Low Wages in Joko Pinurbo's Epigram

Jokpin also always cooperates with his book publishers so he is always present when asked to be a resource.

"There have been several occasions where it turned out that he was sick, but he still made time to attend the book launch that we held," said Mirna, who has been an editor for Jokpin books for 17 years.

Mirna explained that Jokpin has always been supportive of young poets in Indonesia. In fact, as a senior poet, Jokpin was willing to write dedication poems for young poets, such as Aan Mansyur and Adimas Immanuel.

"Mas Jokpin also often recommends several authors to publish their books. "This is important for regeneration," he said.

Novelty

Joko Pinurbo was born in Sukabumi, West Java, on May 11 1962 and lives in Yogyakarta. He first published a collection of poetry in 1999 under the title Pants. Since the publication of his first poetry book, Jokpin immediately received attention in the world of Indonesian literature.

Jokpin's poems are deemed to offer novelty as they often deal with everyday objects such as pants, sarongs, mobile phones, and bathrooms, which rarely appear in the works of previous poets. In addition, Jokpin's poems feel fresh because they provide humor that was previously not widely present in the history of Indonesian poetry.

KOMPAS/HARIS FIRDAUS

Poet Joko Pinurbo (second from right) appears to sing with the Olski band at the launch of a book of poetry collections entitled Epigram 60, Monday (16/5/2022), at the Gramedia Sudirman Bookstore, Yogyakarta.

Jokpin has published many poetry collections, for example Pants (1999),Under the Fluttering Sarong (2001), My little girlfriend (2001), Mobile Phone (2003), My Lover (2004), Twilight Boyfriend (2005), To Kiss (2007), Tahilalat (2012), and Moon Clothes (2013).

Jokpin's other poetry books include Bulu Matamu: Padang Ilalang (2014), Coffee Letters (2014), Letters from Yogya (2015), < i>Happy Poetry Service (2016), Tonight I Will Sleep in Your Eyes (2016), Sleep Practice Book (2017), Banquet Khong Guan (2020), One Picnic (2021), A Piece of Heart in Angkringan (2021), News of Joy (2021) , and Epigram 60 (2022).

Also read: Joko Pinurbo's Pandemic Poetry

Apart from poetry, Jokpin has also published other literary works, for example the novel Srimenanti (2019) and the short story collection No Asu Among Us (2023).

Jokpin has received various literary awards, such as the Jakarta Arts Council Poetry Book Award (2001), Sih Award (2001), Lontar Literary Award (2001), Tempo's Selected Literary Figure (2001 and 2012), Language Agency Literary Award (2002 and 2014), Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa (2005 and 2015), and South East Asian (SEA) Write Award (2014).

KOMPAS/SEKAR GANDHAWANGI

The launch of the book Khong Guan Banquet by poet Joko Pinurbo was held in Jakarta, Sunday (26/1/2020).

The departure of Jokpin also left a deep memory for his friends, including classmates during high school. One who feels the loss is a cultural observer from Petra Christian University, Surabaya, Theophilus Joko Riyanto, who lived with Jokpin at the Mertoyudan Junior Seminary Dormitory, Magelang, Central Java, from 1977-1980.

In Jokri's eyes, the nickname of Theophilus Joko Riyanto, his friend, is a quiet figure. "Mas Jokpin is quiet. More on the economical side of talking. However, the diction in daily socializing also feels very reflective and philosophical," he said.

There is absolutely no arrogance in Mas Jokpin as we know he is one of Indonesia's best poets.

The use of simple yet profound diction often appears in Joko Pinurbo's poems, seemingly flowing naturally in his daily life. This is what makes Jokpin's poetry truly authentic.

"The use of meaningful yet easily digestible words is not only in his poetry, but also in daily life. Since high school, Jokpin has been actively writing poetry. He often writes for the Seminari Mertoyudan wall magazine," said Jokri.

KOMPAS/HARIS FIRDAUS

Poet Joko Pinurbo signs a book of his poetry collection entitled Epigram 60, Monday (16/5/2022), at the Gramedia Sudirman Bookstore, Yogyakarta.

In Jokri's eyes, Jokpin is a friendly figure to everyone and lives a very simple daily life. These two friends last met physically in July 2023 when they were both in a car heading to their high school reunion location.

On their way to the reunion, they talked about the daily lives of their friends that reflected a romantic reflection of the lives of the elderly. Their conversation flowed in a humorous style.

Especially for the reunion, Jokpin wrote a poem entitled "Sumeleh". At the end of his poem he wrote:

Sit by the pool and let it go

The birds in your head are singing

Those who mourn in tralala

will rejoice in trilili